deus ex machina: cycle one
by a child
Summary: Where do you go when there is no where to hide? This question and many others plague three young pilots of behemoths known as "Angels", in a struggle for not only their existence, but for the lives of ten million more. The original premired at Gundam.com.


partone.html

Darkness  
Is this our fate?  
Why did we have to suffer so?  
Were we meant to die?  
Why?  
Endless black  
Heavens as dark as Hell  
No place to hide  
Always running  
Losing our minds  
Losing our souls  
Dying  
Is dying the end?  
Should we all die?  
Silence  
We're waiting...  


The year is 2069 AD. Mankind hangs by a thread as Earth is no longera haven. In 2066, 25 billion people were slaughtered as a group of vigilante space-goers called "the Evangels" came back to Earth after being rejected. Only 50 million remain, who now look to the Stars as their Salvation.  
In this journey, they must find similar worlds in which to live on, in hopes of propergating once more. Until then, the giant vessels known as Arks are their only home.  
Few people can stand up to the Evangels, who are following them in ruthless pursuit. Those that can must battle them with the strength of the Angels.

DEUS EX MACHINA: CYCLE ONE  
1:1--'ENTRANCE'

"The infinite void that we travel on," began Recruitment Officer Michaels, "is full of dangers and must not be tampered with. With our pursuers close on us, every life is at stake. A responsibility like this..."  
'Stupid son-of-a-bitch', Han thought, as he watched this would be politicians quabble meaningless drivel, rather than just say 'Han Du Zong, you are now a pilot of an Angel'. Such luxuries weren't available, however, and thus Han continued to listen without listening.  
"...this day, a new light has shown aboard the Ark Covenant, to aid us in our journey. He has proven..."  
'Hurry up you stupid bastard', Han thought while slowly becoming enraged. At this rate, the ceremony would conclude when they have reached their destinations and multiplied a hundred fold, while Han would either be dead or too old to pilot an Angel.  
"..it is now with great pleasure as I ask for Ensign Han Tao to rise and join me by my side."  
Han rose, and a feeling of comfort entered his mind as he was about to get what he earned through the training, through the laboratory tests, through everything. He arrived, just as Michaels took out the authorization card.  
"Ensign Han Du Zong, I do hereby condone upon you the title of Pilot of Angel 08. This card will allow you access to the Main Hangar to your Unit. However, as a safety precaution, it does not go into effect until tomorrow at 1536 hours."  
'WHAT!?!!?', the uproarious thought that had plagued his mind. 'Just what the fuck was this bullshit? Safety precautions, my ass!'  
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to this ceremony. Would all Angel launch crew please report back to their stations at this time?"  
Han watched as different people went different directions, with the bulk heading to the Main Hangar Control Room, where all activity that was remotely Angel related was monitored.  
"You met the dickhead, I take it?"  
Han turned around to the appearance of a woman, two years his senior, look at him and smiled as the young man appeared confused.  
"I don't think we have met," the woman again spoke.  
"I doubt it. Training seems to isolate you."  
"I wouldn't know; I never had to go through training."  
Han looked suprised to hear such a thing, but suddenly remembered a name and blurbed it out.  
"Suako Hayato, I presume."  
Su, knowing how 'people-friendly' the trainers were, was suprised to Han knew her name.  
"Su, to my friends."  
Han was right; he was always right, a trait he always had use for.  
'Fine, Su. I shall consider you as an equal.'  
Su chuckled. 'Equal indeed,' she thought. 'We're just pilots, that's all.'  
"Tell me: did you have to wait to use your Angel."  
"No. They were eager to get me into patrol as soon as possible. You know, if you wanted to, I could get you into the hangar."  
"You read my mind. I only want to see what the final product looks like..."  
He never got to finish that statement that day, as it was interrupted by an all too familiar alarm, warning that an enemy cruiser was closing in.  
"Oh great. I need to contact the Control Room. Hold on a minute, Han."  
He waited for her response as she talked to her communique when a man, older than the both of them, ran past Han, nearly clocking him.  
"HEY! Watch it!"  
"The same to you!"  
"Stupid fuck," he whispered as Su finished.  
"Well, they only wanted one pilot, so we can observe the battle from the Control Room. Shall we?"  


Lieutenant James Corrigan sped past the safety door to the Hangar as he activated his BIOS, and spedily covered his body with the familiar spandex-like suit that would make it possible for him to save the day once more. He still couldn't believe the audacity that dipshit of a person he nearly ran into for even questioning his authority. He comforted himself while on the Lift Tarp, knowing that the young man probably didn't know who he was. He reached the Entry Port, and pressed the button on the side of it, allowing the ocular doors to open so that he could enter them. He switchedon all necessary systems, and began to talk with CR.  
"Erithzion, this is CR, do you copy?"  
"CR, this is Erithzion, loud and clear."  
"All right, we were able to pick up a Transport, probably with 5 Mechs."  
"OK. Do we have anything that will take them out easy?"  
"We'll get you online to Division 7."  
James waited as a new window popped up in the cockpit. It was Lieutenant Garrett Ericsson, a welcome face if he knew one.  
"James, you there?"  
"Loud and clear. Got anything?"  
"Going by regulation, we have to give you an AR ,but it looks like these guys are the super-piss-off types; so a Shotgun or a RL would be better."  
James had to think it through, with the knowledge that the Ark Protection Act required him to carry a rifle at all times, but Armor-types in top form could shrug regular bullets off with ease. He had to think fast, for the carrier was well on its way of intercepting the Ark.  
"Do we have the PFX-02 operational?"  
"What, isn't 20 seconds a fast enough reload time for a gun? In that case, yes, but watch out for bugs in the system."  
"Fine. Just send it and a AR57 to here now."  
A whir of buzzes and clicks was heard, then Ericsson got back on.  
"On their way now. Good luck."  
"Thanks," and with that, the mechanical arms along the left and right sides of the Angel opened to reveal the weapons he required; the AR57 had the standard bandolier on it that doubled as a holding strap, while the PFX-02 had an extra clip on the side. Holding it would require the use of two hands, meaning that he had to use the rifle as a means of desperate measures. He put his hands on the control knobs, and grabbed the rifle, holstering it on his unit's shoulder. He then preceded to take the PFX-02 in his right hand, then put his left hand on the shell release/trigger mechanism.  
"Erithzion is armed. Standby to receive wings."  
The reason the Angels were given their name was never for their ominous presence, even though they were nearly 300 feet tall, or their significance in aiding in the escape from Earth; it was for the wing pack, used only as stabilizers for maneuvering and thrusting. An assuring click was heard in the cockpit, and James knew that it wouldn't be long now until launch...  


The Visage had finally come within launch range of their units, and would do so within 3 minutes. 'Soon,' Major Cameron Wallace thought, 'the elusive Covenant would be theirs for the taking.' He opened a comm line to each of the pilots.  
"Men, you are about to embark on a treacherous mission where the rewards are great and the threats even greater. All I ask of you is to go out there and kick some arse! You have your orders; now prepare to launch!"  
A figure appeared behind him, in the shadows nearly as dark as the void outside.  
"Rousing speech, but you aren't expecting them to stand a chance, are you?"  
"No," Cameron commented, "and that's the worst part of all; I was the one who sent them dying."  
"And still there are no regrets?"  
"I have been in the military a long time, sir; and I would be damned if I didn't know that this isn't a conversation about my men."  
The man stepped out of the shadows, and Damien Cortes grinned.  
"So, it seems the rumors have indeed reached the Visage after all. You must be ecstatic."  
Cameron laughed at the confirmation. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not everyday one becomes a BIO Unit pilot."  
Damien looked out at the where the troops would launch. It read 24 seconds on the countdown clock.  
"It certainly isn't, Major."  
17 seconds remained on the clock now.  
"I would take it that you have come to obtain a sample, yes?"  
"Its the kind of job I would prefer a techie doing, but HQ insisted upon it. Sometimes I find it amazing that they would have asked me to be on the Staff Chiefs, and I would have avoided fighting altogether."  
9 seconds remained.  
"Both of us know you would have rejected it in a heartbeat. Everyone know your rightful place is in action, sir."  
"Indeed it is, Major; indeed it is."  
A loud blast filled the ship with all sorts of noise and the occasional profanity from one of the launch staff, disgruntled that no ear plugs were provided. The crew watched as the five young men were about to meet their destiny...  


Han had seen the Control Room once in a picture in part of the prerequisite data file, but never had the opportunity of going into it. Su was a nice young woman, and it was nice to know that her sympathies were with him during his training. He had reached the Control Room at last, and thought to himself thank God I am a pilot."  
The room was full of different computing equipment, mainly to respond to the pilot's well-being, as well as the Unit's. Monitors observed the airspace, hangar, and a direct link into the Unit's head were on screen, all happening real-time, all happening now. The ever-diligent technicians, who looked as if sleep had not come to them for several weeks, stayed focused on the task at hand.  
"Suprised to see you up here."  
Su turned to greet the man, one named Captain Jayson Miller, who was always very friendly, despite comments made behind his back because of the color of his skin. Being black and in an important position was nearly unheard of in any profession, but it was obvious that he was destined for greatness, even if he had to do it behind a desk. Han extended his handout as a generous greeting, despite his hate for 'pencil-pushers'.  
"It's great to know that we have another one just like you."  
'No,' Han thought, 'no one is like me; I'm better.'  
"Indeed it is. When does the Angel launch?" Han looked out again into the hangar to see the final preparations being made for Unit-02 'Erithzion's launch.  
"Oh, in about 10 seconds. I suggest the both of you take a seat, and try to protect yourself from the noise. We do have sound-proof walls, but don't rely on that too much."  
Han sat down at the far wall, whereas Su took a seat next to Miller. Han fixated himself on the Head-view, for he would get the chance to see his future enemies...  


The five AMUs (Armor Mobile Units) were nearly at their target, and soon would prove themselves worthy of being in combat, regardless of the outcome. The comm links in each cockpit squeaked to life.  
"Men," Sergeant Vicar began, "we are at nominal speed and will arrive shortly. My only warning is this: if any of you decide to retreat, I will take that opportunity to rid the universe of your fucking cowardice, along with yourself. Remember: Major Wallace is watching, as is Captain Cortes. We shall be victorious!"  
"Sir!" responded Ensign Uruki, whose thoughts were solely on the mission.  
"Sir!" barked out Ensign Masters, with disdain that he would miss out on his favorite movie tonight for this mission.  
"Sir!" yelled Ensign Corazander, eager to please Captain Cortes more than Wallace, as it was his dream to fight with the legendary 'Angel del Inferno'.  
In Unit 68, though silence was the response that came from Private Duncan Wallace, the youngest and the son of the Major. He had despised fighting; but his father came first, and to disappoint him would mean severe repercussions, and no one will ever be able to challenge their father. He had been called in as a reserve pilot for Ensign Sewart, who took ill the night before. It was doubtful his father even knew he was out there;   
'You think this will make me happy?'  
'Bah, and to hell with it!'  
'You know as well as I do that you'll ever amount to anything in this search!'  
'Just try and impress me! Pilot? Hah!'.  
The very thought left him depressed, and questioned if running away was an option at this point. Sergeant Vicar was good, but he wouldn't be able to get him. He refocused his thought at the task at hand and took charge at the gigantic monolith before them.  


"LAUNCH ANGEL!"  
A thunderous clamor erupted in the Main Hangar as Erithzion was catapulted out; it would take an additional five seconds for the Angel cleared the Ark and, more importantly, engage in combat with the incoming AMUs.  
"Fuck, was that loud!" a technician uttered in the chaos as it filled the Control Room. Han was still as the commotion began, and would stillbe as it ended. He looked to his side to see more workers covering their ears.  
"You'd think by now they'd have gotten used to it," he exclaimed to Miller.  
"Well then, Ensign Du Zong, you'd be wrong; no one can get used to a noise that God damned loud."  
Han had been wrong before, an annoying trait he had carried with him his entire life, one he had always wish to rectify when he had the time, but coming from Miller, though, seemed to slide past him more of a fact than an insult; it was true that no one could get used to that noise, save only the Pilots. He returned to look at the monitor with the view of the Angel, which had the name of Erithzion.  
'Naming an Angel; I could think of one right now as the fight happens,' he thought merrily, as it was now two seconds before Erithzion cleared the way.

'Nerves,' Duncan thought, 'nerves; that's all I need to survive out here.' His was a situation that required full attention; barely passing the necessary tests which entitled him to be a MU pilot, he was put on reserve, despite his father's pleas. All it led to for him was more grief from his father; a person with thinner skin would snap. He always though the tolerated Father too much, and that one day he would get his just desserts. Now wasn't the time to think about that; he had to help the rest of his team accomplish the daunting task of eliminating the Angel.

'where is my heart at?'  
'why do I press on?'  
'why can't it be like before?'  
'why must we suffer?'  
James was lucky these were his private thoughts, as he was nearly into space once more; such comments would get him banned, and would force him to lead the rest of his days under close supervision by his superiors. He too refixated his thoughts, as he now entered space.  
The AMUs finally arrived, and quickly armed themselves with their AR's. Soon, the Angel would arrive and the battle for survival would soon begin.  
Captain Miller looked on and had discomfort in his face; he knew that this would be a hard fight, one that Lieutenant Corrigan might not win. He looked at the perimeter camera, carefully watching the five terrible machines that aided in their destruction, and could only pray.  
"Good luck, James; save us all," was all that he said until the battle would be over, and sat down again.  
"For the record," began the battle records technician, "this is Battle 023, BIO Unit, Angel-class 'Erithzion' versus Mech Unit, Armor-class, five units; the battle begins...now."

If one thing was true about battles, urgency was the mood on both sides; each had much to gain as much as they had to lose. AMUs were designed with one function at mind: delay. It didn't take long for the Evangels to figure out that each BIO Unit could only perform for ten minutes; anything beyond that left it dead in space. This concerned all military personnel on board the Covenant, for without the Angels, they were prime targets for the overwhelming forces of the Evangels. Now, as both sides have waited anxiously, the battle had begun.

In 2064, a brilliant bioengineer named Petrov Mendelov created a revolutionary process: replix, which could duplicate dead or dying tissue on a human being. No longer did amputees have to live without limbs; they could be replaced within hours. Life-long scars could be cured, and it was even rumored at one time that it could revive the dead. It was this discovery that lead to the BIO, or Biomechanical Intergrated Organism, Research Project. It was indefinitely put on hold when the Evangels attacked, resulting in the deaths of 25 billion people.

"I've got a target coming in from 12:45 low; stay focused."

When the Arks were completed, the men in charge realized that they were without defense. If they were to launch without some protection, the Evangels were sure to destroy them. It was this revelation that restarted the BIO Research Project once more, with the intent of creating a biomechanical counter-unit to the Mobile Units that were solely produced and used. The plan was to make these 'BIO Units' faster, more maneuverable, and generally more effective than anything then everything the Evangels had or ever would put out.

Each AMU was now ready to attack. Gunfire entered the void, all directed at the now advancing Angel.

When conceived, the BIO Unit was little different than a regular Mech Unit. Both had six important parts to it: one, the skeletal structure, made of a special metal composite for strength against stress, but extremely flexible and suprisingly light: two, the legs, where much of the thrusting motors were located; three, the arms, which would be used to hold and fire weapons against enemies; four, the body, which contained the cockpit and power systems; five, the head, which features cameras and sensors that feed directly into the cockpit; and the cockpit itself, which coordinated all of these activities. In principle, it was identical to a Mobile Unit, but with one key difference: its BIO aspects.  
The man responsible for the BIO Research Project, Petrov Mendlov, finally came into play came into play, and suggested a radical idea: use the few resources that they had to create skeletal structures, and Mendelov would create a process to give these skeletons skin, for better mobility and reflexes that no Mobile Unit could match. The plan was set out, not without scrutiny, but was begun. The time that they had was running out, so all experts were called to research and design the necessary equipment.

James took aim at the nearest AMU, one being piloted by Ensign Masters.

At first, the design team faced a predicament: the test pilot could barely control the prototype that had been created, so a solution had to be made. Mendelov gave it, in the form that the pilot of the particular Unit would donate his DNA to his genetic mix, which would enable the unit to respond at the pilot's own pace. Astoundingly enough, it worked, and soon after, five BIO Units were created, and each was assigned to one of the five Arks. Mankind now had a chance, thanks to the Angels.

'What is he doing.' thought Ensign Masters, stilled quite miffed that his favorite movie, 'At Play in the Fields of the Lord', from the late twentieth century, was already at the best part, not noticing that the Angel was taking aim at his Unit.  
"Goodbye," replied James silently, as he fired the first shell ever from the weapon.  
Such power was not anticipated by James, as the recoil was a reminder of such. The shell flew fast and true, as it began to pierce the AMU that was being piloted by Ensign Masters.  
'Oh damn, what am I going to do know' thought Masters, as the explosions began, one of which was nearing the cockpit of his AMU in the next instant. 'At least I had nothing to lose,' was his final thought, as the explosion now entered the cockpit, ripping his limbs violently apart, and incinerating the remains, as the Unit's power core had finally compromised completely and destroyed the AMU.  
"One down, four to go."  
Erithzion made a 72 degree turn to the left, only to see two other AMUs scatter and hoping that the Angel would not pursue; how unfortunate it must have been for them as the internal thrusters erupted once more and sped towards them.

'What's happening?!'  
'Someone just died!'  
'I don't need this!'  
'STOP!!!'  
'STOP!!!'  
'FOR GOD'S SAKE, STOP!!!'  
Duncan was one pilot that no unit wanted; never lacking in one area, but never excelled. He was truly a Green, and would never rank past Private.  
'Dad is watching'  
'I can hear him now...'  
'Hate'  
'Indifference'  
'These are all he feels for me'  
'Why can't I die?'  
"Get back to your position, Private! We are fighting a battle, and all you can do is act comatose; have your breakdown later," Vicar yelled, "or just get out of the way! Jesus fucking Christ, why did Sewart have to get sick."  
Duncan once again looked out at the cold recesses of space, which served as a grim reminder of how he felt: empty.

"Corazander, get ready; he's on his way!" Uruki had already armed himself with his rifle, and began aiming at the incoming mass of flesh and metal. The other unit hurriedly prepared as well, removing the newly-perfected grenade launcher. It did not prevent Corazander from watching Uruki hopelessly firing at the Angel, with nary a shot hitting its target. He also watchedas a shell from the Angel's new weapon hit dead center in AMU 67's chest, as the sickeningly brutal impact ended Uruki's life prematurely, a hole that now lay in the disabled Mobile Unit's chest cavity.  
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...," was the only thing on Corazander's mind as he saw the Angel near its destination with a grim sense of death entering him. He gave it one last shot, and fired the grenade launcher. The deadly ellipse flew fast, and detonated near the Angel, setting it off course enough so that now Corazander's life was spared a few more minutes.

'Stupid, how can I be so careless? I knew what weapon it was too. Damn, I should have gotten him first when he was arming it.' He checked in to the Ark.  
"What's the damage?"  
"The grenade round has you more shaken up than the Angel is; just some pieces of shrapnel hit you, most of which bounced off."  
"How am I doing on time?"  
"You are 4:37 in. Enough time to take out the rest, methinks," replied Ensign Scott. His sharp sense of timing was rivaled only by his sense of humor; he made it a point to find a bright spot in every situation, no matter how intense it may have been. "We'll tell you when you reach 8:00; until then, good luck."  
"Over and out," replied James, as the link now was dormant. He had more pressing matter to attend to now, such as taking out the AMU that so avoided him.

"Uruki's down! We have to help Corazander out," exclaimed Duncan, as the fire finally erupted from Unit 67 in the distance.  
"Fine; I'll take lead, you follow. Keep that rifle out and aim high," responded Vicar. It was necessary to save as many men as possible from this carnage-ridden battle; they simple were not equipped well enough to handle the Angel and its new weapon.  
"Copy that, sir! Following now." Duncan finally was at ease in this battle. Maybe he could help save another soldier; that would impress his father tremendously. He could hear it now: 'You helped save this man. For once I'm impressed with you, son. Keep up the good work.' With this in mind, for the first time in a long time, he smiled, as the two AMUs closedin on their comrade's position, as well as the Angel's.

"Status, Ensign," ordered Major Wallace to a nearby technician.  
"One moment please."  
The technician barely paid attention to battles; he reasoned if anyonehas seen one, 'you've seen them all'. It came as no shock as he revealedthat while Team 16 was holding strong, the Angel had overwhelmed them in almost every area, resulting in the destruction of two AMUs, neither of which would be cheap to replace.  
"Sergeant Vicar and Ensign Sewart are closing in fast on Angel 02; Ensign Corazander is in the same attack vector, but is not engaging the enemy."  
"Send an order out to the Ensign to fire at Angel 02, then..." It was an order that he never got to finish, as Ensign Sewart, sick with a stomach flu, entered the control area.  
"..."  
"What? I was just coming up here to see the battle...that a crime now?"  
Major Cameron Wallace, in all fairness, was absolutely dumbfounded at this point.  
"If you are here, whose in Unit 68?" he asked, with dread in his voice.  
"Umm...I'd have to say the Reserve Pilot."  
"What?!" Something told him that something was wrong, very wrong. He hoped that he was wrong.  
"Active Reserve Pilot on duty is Private Duncan...Wallace...oh my God."  
Major Wallace looked for the first time at the In-Flight camera forUnit 68, confirming his fears: it was indeed his son, piloting the AMU,and strangely enough, looking quite at home in the cockpit.  
"What? Who gave the orders to put him in there?"  
"SOP, I'm afraid; when you have a Pilot out, you replace him."  
"Dear Lord, why are we still talking; patch through to Unit 68, NOW!!!"  
"Link activated...link established. Patching through now. Pilot, report."  
The transmission soon began as a slightly confused Duncan began to speak.  
"Aren't I the wrong person to talk to? You should be talking to SergeantVicar."  
"We know; Major Wallace wants to speak to you."  
"Wuh?" Now Duncan was baffled; why would his father speaking to him now, mere seconds before he would enter his first fight.  
"Duncan, just what the hell are you trying to prove?"  
Silence was the answer for a brief moment, a mood reflected in the camera's view of the young man, looking for the best answer. The link went alive again before it had to close.  
"I'm your son," and with that, the conversation was over, and for the first time in his life, a father, always neglecting what he had held as precious, was scared.

"All right; let loose on the Angel!"  
Bullets entered the airless void again, with purpose of destroying their target. James had anticipated such, and dodged the volley that ringed familiar in his ears. He readied once more the PFX-02, and aimed at Corazander's AMU once more.  
Corazander was ready this time and reacted by moving the AMU away fromits original position; yet it wasn't fast enough, as the shell impacted on the left arm, ripping it violently off, and taking the grenade launcher with it. The explosion from that caused significant damage to the rest of the AMU, leaving it dead in space.  
"He's been incapacitated! I'll move in to retrieve him and nudge him into HQ's direction! Cover me, Wallace!"  
Duncan accepted the order, and took aim at something very few pilots would care to hit: the wings. He fired the rifle, each bullet hitting its mark, with the last projectiles tearing through.  
"Damn it! These guys don't..."  
"8:00; you better rap this up quick, or you're dog meat," explained Scott.  
"I have to let them get away...wait a sec; that one is the leader!" He finally noticed the bands on the armor plating of the AMU pushing thedamaged unit away. It was indeed the markings of a Commander Unit.

"Team 16 is retreating! Vicar is towing Unit 65 with him; Private Wallaceis backup."  
Comfort finally entered the breathing of Major Wallace; his son would be all right after all, and he would never have to look down on him everagain.  
"Wait...Oh God, Angel 02 is taking aim at Unit 64"  
He looked at the cameras, and the suspicions were put to rest: Angel 02 was indeed beginning to aim at Vicar's AMU, and with the weapon he had been using, he was sure to take him out, along with the damaged Unit 65, leaving Duncan alone.  
"Isn't there anything we can do about it."  
"What do you want us to do: go out there with M18's and fire at that.I'm sorry, but this battle is over."

Duncan had to think quickly, for the lives of two soldiers' lay at stake.  
"How do I stop that?'  
'What can I do?'  
It soon became painfully obvious what he had to do. He looked into the In-flight camera, one last time, and mouthed two words that would forever burn inside of his father.  
"Good bye."  
He rotated the AMU and thrust into the direction of his ailing comrades.

"No, no, no, NO!!! Don't do it, Duncan!" No one had ever seen Major Wallace so over come with emotion before, as it soon became obvious to the rest of the crew what Duncan was about to do.  
"Is he crazy?"  
"No one in their right mind would do this."  
"He'll get a medal for this, that's for sure."  
It was Major Wallace, however, that conveyed the greatest emotion, as his silence was proof enough of his love for his son.

"Hold on tight, he's coming this way," Vicar communicated to the malfunctioning comm-link in Unit 65's cockpit. Corazander soon realized what was happening: the Angel was coming their way to kill the both of them, allowing Duncan to escape.  
"A noble gesture," he thought, but all in vain; we're all gonna die someday, so allow us to do so in the glory of battle..."  
James could now see them within the firing range that would take both of them out. He steadied his weapon and drew a direct bead on the helpless AMUs.  
Duncan with all his might sped as fast as the AMU could let him, finally arriving at the point where the Angel would soon be firing. He took special notice of the lumbering AMUs, and began to enter their path of retreat.  
"Here it comes!"  


The mighty gun fired, and to both Vicar and Corazander, it seemed to take forever to hit them. They both closed their eyes, and thought of the happier times of their lives...  
James had assured himself that this would be his last shell fired today,as he guessed that his remaining power now lay at near border-line levels.He never took notice of the speeding AMU entering the firing path of the PFX-02's deadly shell...  
Duncan never believed that in near-death that one could see their entire life flash before one's eyes, so he never thought of such things.Instead, he concentrated on the calm that lay before him...  


The shell now was at its destination prematurely as the AMU called Unit 68 stepped in its way and batted it away with the butt of its rifle. It flew off in a greater velocity than before and exploded soon after.  
"I won't let you kill them!" exclaimed Duncan as he took the rifle back into his trigger-ready arms. "You are going down!"  
The Angel layed dormant for a time, then extended its wings and charged at Duncan's unit. Duncan prepared himself, evading the charge, putting him in a strategically superior position compared to his enemy, and fired his rifle. Each bullet finally made their mark, hitting the Angel at different spots, fracturing its armor in several places, destroying it at others.The Angel spun around again, and began to aim its weapon at Duncan. Duncan then concentrated on aiming for the barrel of his gun, hoping to annhilate the shell that was readied to be fired. He took aim at it and fired.  
Defying any logic known, the bullets hit their mark and detonated the shell inside, causing the gun to explode in a fantastic fireball. The Angel was unfortunately on the receiving end of this blast and was heavily damagedt. Duncan could now see the Angel in battle-torn stupor, as its wounds became obvious, blood pouring out of them. It was at that moment that Duncan knew he turned the tide of the battle against the behemoth, and soon returned to firing relentlessley at the dying beast.  
Bullet after bullet drilled into the Angel's skin, ripping it to pieces before Duncan. It wasn't long until one bullet hit the power matrix of the Angel and caused a chain reaction of explosions, until the Angel was imbedded in the deadly light, ceasing it and its pilot to ever exist again.  
"I did it; ohmygod, I did it!"  
He celebrated within the constraints of his cockpit, not once letting slip from his mind of how proud his father must have felt. He then returned to the aid of his comrades, helping Vicar to push along Corazander to the entry bay.  
The cheer coud not have been louder as pilots and techinicians alike joined in to celebrate Duncan's victory over the Angel.  
"It's finally my time to shine"  
"I'm the star at last"  
"He'll finally love me"  
He was directed to go to the control bridge of the cruiser, where Major Wallace was waiting. He hopped onto the lift, along with Vicar who was also to be commended for his efforts in this operation. Indeed, two men lost their lives, but not in vain. Angel 02 had finally been killed, silencing one of the so-called "Saviors" forever.  
"That was one helluva show out there, Private. I'd be honored to do that again sometime in the near future. Remember: you earned this."  
He replied only with a smile, as the life finally reached its destination. The doors opened, and the response was applause from all corners. Men he never met cheered him on with clapping, men he knew shouted out for him,and in the middle of it all was his father.  
"I did it for you," Duncan enthusiastically replied, and wenton to embrace his father.  
No sooner than he met his father that a blinding flash enterd the areaand all things around him no longer existed.  


The explosion from Duncan's AMU was a sight to behold indeed,and it soon ended the life of this promising young man. No one could have anticipated the violence of either death, wheter it being that the shell literally decapitated Duncan, his body torn to gory bits. He was lucky; he died beofre the AMU exploded and would go on to incinerate whatever remains there might have been. This was hardly in vain; the explosion served its intent by allowing the others to escape. James had thought of pursuing them, but realized he was down to his last bit of power; thus he returned to the hangar, landing in the same way that he had so many times before.He was greeted by the floor techinicians, much like the many times before this battle, and reported immeadietly to the control room. Even the lift ride up was all too familar, and this left James with an empty feeling after the battle.

No one had ever seen Major Wallace so terrified in his life,as he still stood deathly still, even after the deadly storm had died out. He still remained still even as Sergeant Vicar exited the lift.  
"I'm...I'm sorry, sir; I knew he meant a lot to you..."  
The silence that engulfed Cameron finally was lifted as Damien grabbed his shoulder.  
"I have no doubt of the feelings that you are feeling right now,Major." He finally coaxed the Major to turn around and face him. The expression on his face, still frozen with disbelief, anger, hurt, and sorrow could tell one more about this man than they could have possibly imagined.  
"What would you do to get this man?"  
"What?" replied Cameron, breaking his silence. "What do you mean?"  
"I already said that you were about to become a BIO Pilot," Damien began once more. "What would you do with it, hmm? Find him, kill him? Would it be that simple for you?"  
He could only look him in the eye, and revealed his true emotions atlast.  
"I want him, I want him alone! I'm going to find him, and I will kill the bastard that took the life of my son! I will make sure that everyone close to him will suffer because he is dead; I want them to suffer!" Tears ran down his face, his complexion red, and his body shaking.Damien grinned at that man, and spoke to him once more.  
"That is all we needed to know. Rest assured, we will give every bit of the latest technology, we will train the system to be the very best, and we will make short of being a god. Do not worry, Major Cameron Wallace; you will get your chance to kill him."  
The speech had a profound effect on him, and now Cameron Wallace, husaband to Elissa MacKenzie Wallace, decorated with several honors and acheivments, had a new feeling for his son: revenge.

Somewhere, aboard a Living-class Carrier, a wife is baking her husband's favorite pastry.  
Somewhere, she knows her husband is all right.  
Somewhere, she realizes that her son will never be coming home again.  
Somewhere, she cries, the tears ruining the batter much like her life was.  
Somewhere, in his quarters, a brave man is crying.  
Somewhere, a man is refusing his sad exsistence for yet another day.  
Somewhere, they will all be one.

NEXT--1:2-TRINITY


End file.
